Prior art research in the area of fishing aids has centered on developing formulations that will attract a fish to a certain area or increase the general feeding response of the fish.
Chemical fishing aids that have been described in the prior art have, in general, been designed to attract fish to the vicinity where a fisherman has placed his lure. This is done by either incorporating the chemical agent directly into the lure or by releasing the agent into the water in the vicinity of the lure. The chemical attracting agent will diffuse through the water from the point of release and set up a chemical gradient, i.e., the chemical attracting agent will have the highest concentration at the point of release and the concentration of the gradient in the water will decrease proportionately with distance from the point of release. Thus, when a fish senses the presence of the chemical attractant, the fish will swim toward the lure where the chemical attractant is present at the highest concentration.
Examples of such fishing aids include U.S. Pat. No. 1,393,617 which discloses the inclusion of a fish oil soaked cotton swab in an artifical structure containing a hole through which the fish oil escapes upon immersion in water. U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,853, describes an artifical fish lure which contains a strip of chamois soaked with a fish attracting liquid such as anise, fish oil, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,910 discloses the use of a mixture of whole animal blood and a gelling agent as a fish bait. The mixture is allowed to solidify and is dried before using as a fish bait.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,640 discloses a fish attractant that comprises raw fish which is ground and pulverized in micronized form and is then blended with a surface active agent to facilitate the dispersion of the attractant in water. The attractant is then dried and placed in a bag. For use, the attractant is immersed in water where it is rehydrated and dispersed.
Another type of chemical fishing aid is a chemical that non-specifically stimulates the feeding response of fish. This type of fishing aid is released into the water, and any fish in the vicinity of the dispersed chemical agent will be stimulated into a heightened feeding response. This type of fishing aid does not cause the fish to specifically strike a particular lure but does cause the fish to respond to food in general.
An example of a fish feeding stimulant is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,260. This patent discloses the use of a solution of monosodium glutamate and/or an alkali metal aspartate or a solution of lysine and/or glycine as a feeding stimulate for fish and crustacea.
Many of the prior art fish baits and fish attractants utilize odor to attract fish. An example of this type of bait is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,519. This patent discloses the use of comminuted organic tissue particles dispersed in a solidified polyacrylamide gel. When stored out of contact with water, the gel tightly compacts around the tissue particles and prevents biological degradation of the tissue. When immersed in water, the gel swells to allow bacterial action to take place in the tissue. The tissue odor is then released throught the surrounding gel into the surrounding water.
There are several problems with the prior art chemical fishing formulations. Those formulations that attract fish do not necessarily cause the fish to strike at the fisherman's lure. A fish may be attracted to the area of the lure and the fish's feeding behavior may be stimulated. However, this does not insure that the fish will strike at the fisherman's lure and hold the lure in its mouth along enough for the fisherman to set the hook.
In addition to developing various combinations of chemicals to attract fish and to stimulate the feeding behavior of a fish, much time and effort has been expended in developing lures that will visually attract a fish and cause the fish to engulf the lure. Attractive lures have been developed that are highly successful in causing a fish to strike at the lure. However, once the fish grasps the lure in its mouth, the fish apparently immediately recognizes that the lure is artificial, (i.e., the lure has no taste) and releases the lure from its mouth.
Finally, lures have been developed using various organic materials, such as whole blood or meat. These lures are, in general, subject to spoilage by bacteria and other microorganisms and tend to be short lived after immersion into water. In addition, many of these fishing aids are difficult to prepare and require expensive preparation techniques.